Greetings from the Office of International Affairs!
(OIA)​Edgar Antístenes Vesga-Arias, MA, CMIDirector, Office of International AffairsAAP Staf​f

Our office comprises three major areas of focus:

Grants and ProgramsThe OIA is funded by grants to support global child health programs in immunization advocacy, non-communicable diseases and child survival. The AAP not only continues its key role in the Helping Babies Breathe Global Development Alliance (GDA), but has joined forces with other partners to form the Survive and Thrive GDA, which helps countries scale up evidence-based, high-impact maternal, newborn and child health interventions. In March, the AAP hosted its first global child health advocacy day in Washington, DC. Over 20 members from across the US were trained and then advocated to Congress for increased funding of AAP's global child health priorities. The AAP also partners with global child health organizations on training, advocacy events, and international public health plans.

Business DevelopmentOur business development efforts focus on responding to the needs of pediatricians around the world. AAP journals are now in over 130 countries worldwide with international subscribers making up nearly a third of the journal readership. At the 2013 National Conference, the number of international professional participants increased from an average 16% in the previous three years to 24% of total participants (n=1896).

Professional RelationshipsOur team works closely with other national pediatric societies to identify opportunities to share expert technical information. During the past year, over 75 physicians traveled on behalf of AAP as key note speakers to 38 countries. We work with national pediatric societies to identify ways to collaborate on important child health issues. Likewise, OIA is working to make the Pediatric Education in Disasters (PEDS) program course more accessible. The ICATCH program continues to invite international health care workers to apply for small community improvement grants and has recently been approved for endowment. OIA also serves as Secretariat to the International Pediatric Society (IPA).

As is the case around the country, young physicians in Iowa regularly offer a hand-up to the next generation, particularly in the realm of promoting advocacy. They do so in a great variety of ways, and in Iowa one of the more substantial of these efforts is the annual Advocacy Day for the residents. Separate from the "Day on the Hill," another popular event in Iowa and many other states, Advocacy Day stands as an example of a sustainable, low-to-no-cost means of providing a unique and inspirational introduction to advocating as a pediatrician.​

Young physician leaders have been arranging the day's combined programming for the state's two pediatric residencies for the last four years. The day is typically filled with local and regional experts providing an introduction to the "big A - little a" concept, as well as offering real-world examples of how pediatric advocacy can play out in diverse ways, both legislatively and within one's own community. Activities to impart skills and stimulate engagement break up the didactic sessions. Food, usually the largest expense, is provided at breakfast and lunch.

The most recent Advocacy Day was held in November 2014 and included guest speakers such as local AAP leaders, the IA Chapter's lobbyist, a state senator, and child advocates from several non-profit organizations that deal with pediatric issues on community- and state-wide levels. A panel of pediatrician advocates from both residencies' home institutions, and from all levels of training and practice, answered questions and discussed the spectrum of activities and projects in which they have taken part. Two small group break-out sessions utilized concepts and activities from the AAP's Advocacy Guide to allow residents to progress through planning and implementing a project aligned with their individual passions. Evaluation responses were enthusiastic and overwhelmingly positive. Iowa's unique position of having only two pediatric residencies in the state allows for an ongoing and active collaboration in this endeavor, one that will hopefully continue for a very long time.

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When I look back on the early years of my medical career, I ________. How would you fill in that blank?

Many of us would be unable to use just a few words. We strive to provide excellent patient care, to contribute in a meaningful way to the medical/scientific community, to make a difference in our local community, and to find a sense of fulfillment and contentment from our profession.

That is no small task, especially during the first few years of private practice when life is quite chaotic. Settling in to a new community, raising small children, learning the local medical culture, all while providing top quality evidence-based care to every patient keeps us quite busy. How can we meet all of these goals?

PROS, Pediatric Research in the Office Setting, the AAP's national primary care practice-based research network, recognizes that early career pediatricians have career goals and interests that may be different from those of their predecessors. To further delineate these differences, PROS conducted focus groups at the past two AAP National Conference & Exhibition meetings in Orlando (2013) and San Diego (2014). Based on the feedback provided by early career physicians, PROS is developing innovative research opportunities that allow early career physicians to be involved in improving the practice of pediatrics through both small scale "micro-opportunities," as well as through more formal, traditional PROS studies. These new small scale projects will vary in commitment required, from editing a brief document, to reviewing a few charts, to summarizing the physician's management of a particular disorder. These opportunities will allow young physicians to contribute to the knowledge of the pediatric community and to improve the quality of care provided to every patient, while allowing greater flexibility and minimal commitment for the physician.

PROS is excited to involve early career physicians in office-based research and provide a framework for pediatricians to meet their career goals. Stay tuned for more information! To learn more about PROS, please visit
http://www2.aap.org/pros/

Greetings from the Big Apple! The NYS Young Physicians (YP's) are very excited to kick off 2015 in a most productive and efficient way!

I am joined in these efforts by a great group of chapter representatives, including Drs. Anita Mohan, Vanessa Salcedo, Melissa Schafer and Kimberly Vogelsang. Dr. Vogelsang is even featured in the YP Member spotlight this month!

Our initiatives for the year can be grouped into three overall categories – networking, professional development and advocacy. Below is a description of these initiatives and our action items/plans.

Networking – We are very interested in connecting the young physicians in the state and we want to hear what would work best to do that.

Chapter reps are creating a
short survey to assess the needs of the YP's

Based on results, we will plan a
networking, CME or other event.

YP's will be more included in
district membership committee calls so as to ensure that all perspectives are being heard.

Communication via
Twitter at the District level is being explored.

Professional Development – Inherent to the transition after residency is a focus on leadership skills, mentoring and professional development. We want to focus on this area for our district's members.

Leaders in pediatrics will be invited to share their expertise/wisdom on monthly chapter rep calls.

At least one event for NYS YP's will focus on skills/tools needed for
leadership development.

Relevant documents related to leadership will be shared with district members.

Advocacy – We advocate every day for our patients but unlike in residency, we don't have the same time to devote to intense projects related to advocacy. So we want to ensure that YP's can advocate in less time intense ways.

We will sign up as many NYS YP's as possible to be
key contacts so that when important federal legislation is available, we are ready to get in touch with our legislators.

We will collect stories related to the
Children's Health Insurance Program so that we can share them with our legislators to encourage the continued funding of this program.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of these initiatives or have other ideas, I am very excited to hear from you! Thanks so much!​

Who are you? I am a primary care pediatrician. I practice in a private practice outpatient office setting in Rochester, NY.

How did you become involved with the AAP? I was fortunate to have excellent mentors throughout my training who showed me the value of being an active member, including Drs. Laurel Leslie, John Andrake, and Irene Sills. I now practice with Dr. Tom McInerny at Panorama Pediatric Group. He is responsible for propelling my current involvement.

What is your favorite book? "The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by Jeannette Walls.

What is your favorite developmental milestone? The social smile. There is nothing better than seeing a new baby interact for the first time.

What advice would you give to other young physicians? Advancing from training to your own practice is a very overwhelming transition, especially if you are trying to balance this with family. Involvement in the AAP can help with this by providing you with mentors, access to references, and by providing a platform for advocacy. As you settle into your practice, you will appreciate the ability to initiate change and be an advocate on a larger scale. It is important to be a part of the decisions that shape the future of your pediatric career.​​

​Please be advised that as of the February 2015 edition the Volume number for the first five editions will now be labeled Volume ONE. The second set of editions, 6 - 10, will be Volume TWO. This change is being made so that the newsletter Volume numbers coincide with the calendar year.

For information on your SOECP Executive Committee and their contact information, click here.​